Knitted article of hosiery



June 1953 P. L. THURSTON I 2,642,732

- KNITTED ARTICLE OF HOSIIERY Filed Dec. 26, 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,3; 36" k a u 39 IN VEN TOR. AUL L. filwvsrolv A 7 TOR/V5 X 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q INVENTOR.

PA L7 /4wsr/v' BY m ATTOR/VEX P L. THURSTON KNITTED ARTICLE OF -HOSIERY June 23,1953

Filed c. 26, 1951 June 1953 I P. L. THURSTON 2,642,732

. xnrr'rzb ARTICLE oi 'Ho sIER-Y Filed Dec. 26; 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N V EN TOR. P1104. Lil/0R: To

A TTOR/VE'Y June 23, 1953 P. L. THURSTON 2,642,732

KNITTED ARTICLE OF HOSIERY Filed Dec. 26. 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVEN TOR. P4 UL L TH 0&5 70/v ATTO/PIVE) June 23, 1953 P. L. THURSTON KNITTED ARTICLE OF HOSIERY 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Dec. 26, 1951 g g g a??? 559 Ww MU. 3w hvw 9% Y W W INVHVT A TTOR/VE K Patented June 23, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,642,732 Y KNITTED ARTICLE OF'HO'SIERY' Paul L. Thurston, Martinsburg, W. Va., assignor to Interwoven Stocking Company, New Brunswick, N. J a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationDecember' 26, 1951', seriaiNo'. 263,229

9 Claims.

1 The present invention relates to knitting, and, particularly to knitting circular seamless fabric. The invention is especially applicable to knitting circular seamless hosiery, for exampleh'alf hose, socks and anklets for men, ladies and boys.

It isan object of thepresentinvention to" produce circular seamless fabric having a plurality of areas disposed one afteranother' in a coursewise' direction knit of different yarns, for e}; ample yarns of different color, to produce solid color patterns; A wide variety of patterns isp'ossib'le; for example diamonds; vertical or in clined stripes and bands; rectangular block or. panels; zigzagp'atterns, diagonal patterns, etc.

In accordancewith the" invention, areas" knitv of different yarns" are united o'r' joined with one another by wrap yarn which is knit partially with one body yarn and" partially with another. The Wrap yarn extends in a general walewi'se direction along. the boundary between two areasknit' of" different body yarns an'dis knit at a plurality of stitches ineach course" including at least one stitch knit with the body yarn of. one area: and at least one stitch knit with" the body yarn of the adjacent area. wrap' yarn serve as a connecting link between the adjacent areas" but also it can be of a diff ferent color from the body yarns'sd astc' provide a colored border for said areas. In accordance with theinvention, areas of" different color maybe disposed" one above another in a walewis'e" direction aswell as one alongside another in a cour's'ewise direction.

The invention relates to improvements in the fabric structure and also improvements in the methodof making the fabric and a new and improvedma'chine' for knitting such fabric automatic'ally. The objects, features and" ch'ara'cteristicsoftheinventibn will be more fullyunder stood from' thefollowing description ineonjuncti'onwiththe'accompanying drawings which show, by way of example, fabric embodying the invention and acir'cul'ar knitting machine for producing it. I

The method and apparatus for making the fabric of the" present application are not herein specifically claimed, as they form the basis of mydivisional application, Serial No. 320,285, filed? ig; 2 1s "a stitch diagram" of a small area or Not only does the:

fabric in the leg portion of the sock, as indicated approximately by the broken line 11 in Fig. 1-.

3 is a plan (if a circular knitting Ina-- chine for carrying out the invention.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of themachine.

Fig. 5' is aright side elevation ofthe machine. Fig. 6 is a left side elevation. Fig. '7 is an enlarged view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5; b

Fig. 8 is a plan, partially in horizontal section, of the mechanism shown in Fig; 7, the sec-' tion being taken approximately on the line 9-8 in Fig. 7. r r

Fig. 9 is a right sideview similar to Fig. 5 but withportionsof the machine removed.

Fig. 10 isa plan of the mechanism shown in-Fig. 9'. a

Fig. his a developed view of needle-selectingand operating cams.

Fig; 12 is a schematic view illustrating the paths followed by the needles.

The embodiment of the invention shown; by way of example, in Figs. 1 and 2 is a mans sockhaving a top R, leg L and foot F with a heel H, instep I, sole S and toe T. The top R has a nonraveling' edge or welt W and is formed of fabric haviiiga considerable amount of stretchability and-recoverability, for example 1 X' 1 or 2 X 2 rib fabric" or plain fabric having elastic thread in corporated therein. 7 The leg and foot are plain knit, the leg L, instep I and soleiSbeing formed by continuous round and round circular seamless-knittingwhile the heel H and toe T are knit byreciprocation;

The leg L, and also" the instep I if desired, are composed of a plurality of areas knit respectively'of different body yarns. The areas are dis' posed side by side in a cour'sewise direction so' direction along the borders between adjacent. areas andflis" knit partly withbod'y' yarn of one area and partly with the body yarn ofthe ad'- jace'ntar'ea. Thus; the wrap yarn is carried from" course to course and" at a plurality of stitches in each course", including, one or more stitches knit of one body; yarn and one or more stitches- In the embddiinentshown in Figs. 1 and 2, a

triangular area I2, a diamond-shaped area l3 and a triangular area I4 are formed of a body yarn which may, for example, be blue. Like areas l2, l3 and I4 on the opposite side of the sock are also knit of the same yarn. Diamond-shaped areas l5 and I6 are knit of a different yarn, for example yellow, while diamond-shaped areas I and I8 are knit of still another yarn, for example red, it being understood that half of each of the four last mentioned areas is on the opposite side of the sock. Each course is thus made up of a plurality of body yarns knit successively one after another. Thus, for example, a course approximately on the line AA in Fig. 1 will comprise, in sequence, a portion knit of red yarn of area H, a portion knit of blue yarn of area l2, a portion knit of yellow yarn of area l5 and a portion knit of blue yarn of area I2. The sequence of yarn is the same in a plurality of successive courses so that area H is formed of successive part-courses of red yarn while areas I2 and I2 are formed of part-courses of blue yarn and area I5 is formed of successive part-courses of yellow yarn. The coursewise extent of each of the body yarn portions varies from course to course. Proceeding downwardly from the line AA, the extent of the blue yarn portions forming area I2 decreases at both ends while the red and yellow yarn portions forming areas I! and I5 increase until a line BB is reached where the red and yellow come together, each forming half of the course. Proceeding from line BB to line CC, the extent of the red and yellow yarn portions decreases and that of the blue yarn portions increases. The portions of the courses formed of the same yarn thus end at different wales in succeeding courses, so that the boundary lines between adjacent areas have a coursewise, as well as a walewise, component. At the line C-C, the sequence of the yarns in the course is changed, red yarn occurring in the portion of the course that previously was yellow and yellow yarn occurring in the portion that was previously red. This forms a red area |8 below the yellow area l5 and a yellow area |6 below the red area H. The yarn sequence may also be changed at other points, if desired, for example to knit the area l3 of a yarn different from that forming the area |2. It will be understood that the several areas knit of different yarns may be of many different sizes and shapes, to provide a wide variety of designs.

The way in which adjacent areas knit of different body yarns are joined is illustrated in Fig. 2 which is an outside stitch diagram of a small portion of fabric including a portion of area l3 knit of a body yarn 20 and an adjacent portion of area |6 knit of body yarn 2|. In course I, the stitches in wales a to p are knit of body yarn 20 while stitches in wales q to t are knit of body yarn 2|. In courses 2 and 3, yarn 20 is knit at wales a to n and yarn 2| at wales o to t. In courses 4 and 5, yarn 20 is knit at wales a to l and yarn 2| is knit at wales m to t, etc. A warp yarn 22 is knit at wales 0, p, q and r in course I, at wales m, n, o and p in courses 2 and 3, at wales k, l, m and nin courses 4 and 5, etc. The wrap yarn 22 is thus carried from course to course and, in each of a plurality of successive courses, is knit at a plurality of wales with stitches of the body yarn, including one or more stitches of the body yarn 20 forming the area l3 and one or more stitches of the body yarn 2| forming the area H5. The wrap yarn thus acts as a connecting link between an area knit of one body yarn and an adjacent area knit of another body yarn. In like manner, a wrap yarn 23 (Fig. 1) serves as a connecting link between areas |3 and I8. At a point 24, the two Wrap yarns converge and are knit together. They either cross at point 24 or again diverge. In other words, wrap yarn portions 24 and 25 may either be continuations of 22 and 23, respectively, or continuations of 23 and 22, respectively. Other areas knit of different yarns are joined with one another in like manner. The wrap yarn may be of the same color as one or more of the body yarns but preferably is of a difierent color and is knit in plating relation with the body yarns so that it comes to the outer face of the fabric. In addition to connecting adjacent areas knit of different body yarn with one another, the wrap yarn thus provides a decorative border framing the respective areas. As illustrated in Fig. 1, additional wrap yarns 26 and 21 form a wrap embroidery pattern that divides area l3 into four smaller diamonds. At point 28, wrap yarn 26 crosses wrap yarn 22 that joins areas |3 and IS. A portion of the wrap yarn 26 appears in Fig. 2 where it is knit in plating relation with the body yarn at wales d and e in course I, wales and g in courses 2 and 3, etc. Other wrap embroidery patterns may be provided on the fabric, as desired.

In Fig. 1a, there is shown another design in which tubular seamless fabric forming the leg portion of a sock is composed of rectangular panels or blocks knit of different body yarn. For example, areas 30, 3|, 32, 33 and 34 are knit of blue yarn while areas 35, 36, 31 and 38 are knit of red yarn. Alternate areas, such as 30 and 3|, may be knit from the same end of yarn while intervening areas are knit of different yarn. Alternatively, each of the yarns in a course may be different from the others. Wrap yarns 39 extending in a walewise direction and each knit partly with the body yarn of one area and partly with the body yarn of an adjacent area serve as connecting links between the respective areas knit of different body yarns. It will be understood that a wide variety of patterns is made possible by the construction in accordance with the invention. Where desired the pattern is extended in the instep portion of the sock as well as in the leg portion.

In Figs. 3 to 12 of the drawings, there is illustrated, by way of example, a circular knitting machine for carrying out my invention, portions of the machine being omitted to simplify the drawings. The machine illustrated in the drawings comprises a rotating needle cylinder carrying a circular series of independently operable latch needles, means for feeding a plurality of body yarns sequentially to successive sections of needles during each of successive revolutions of the needle cylinder so as to feed one body yarn to the needles in one section of the needle circle and another body yarn to the needles of a succeeding section of the needle circle, etc., means for feeding wrap yarns to spaced groups of needles overlapping respectively the division point between successive sections that receive different body yarns, each of said groups including at least one needle in one of said sections and at least one needle in an adjacent section, means for varying the division of the needles into said sections and coordinated means for correspondingly varying said groups so that they continue to overlap the division points between successive sections, and means for actuating the needles to knit the body yarns and wrap yarns together so that each of a plurality of courses is formed of smegma aplurality of sections knit respectively; of diflm ent bodyi yarns and said; wrap iyarnsvseruez as abledriving mechanism (not-shown. 'Ihemae chine has a. sinker" cap 4.5. with suitable sinkers thatcooperate with. the needlesto draw stitches and a: latch ring 41 thatassistsiim controlling: the

needle latches. V a l Bodyryarn is fed to theneedlesof: the machine by aplurality ofyarn-feeding" guides 48,. 49,. 50,, 51. and 52 which are disposed sidebyside: at; the main: feeding station. or throat plate of themechine and an additional .yarnefeeding uide 53 (Fig; 3 which is located ahead. of theother yarn guides, the direction of rotation of .the; needle cylinder being counterclockwise. as viewed; in. Fig. 3'. Yarn guides, 49 and 50. areswingable. about a: common pivot shaft 54 (Fig. 4.) soasto. heamovable into and out of yarnv feeding position. The yarn guides are biased so as to be normally in predetermined feeding position and are: movable upwardly to an inoperative position by means of pivoted levers 55, links- 56-and pivoted cam followers 51 that cooperate respectively with .cams Won the main pattern drum shaftfillt. The several yarn guides are thuscontrolled by'the cams 58' so as to be in operative position during certain portions of the knitting operation. For example, one-of said yarn guides may-carry yarn in knitting the top portion of a sock, another the yarn used in-the heel and toe, etc;

Yarn guides 51 and 52 are-similarly controlled by cams 58 on the main pattern drum shaft In addition, these two yarn guides are actuated by mechanism for pumping them intoand out of operative position during each of a-pluralityof successive rotations of the needle cyli'nder'insuclr manner that one of the yarn guides is: in feeding position during a portioniof a revolution and the otheris' in feeding position during another por tion of the same. revolution. This mechanism comprises an auxiliary cam drum lifwhich'rotates in synchronism with the. needle cylinder', being, shown mounted on the. main shaft 59 of the machine (Figs. 4, 5, '7 and 8).. The cam'drum' 6| carries a plurality of arcuate cam sections 62, 63, 6.4.: and of which earns 62' andj65 are shown on one side of the drum and cams. and 64' on the opposite side. The cam drum cooperates with a cam follower assembly comprising two cam followerlevers 66 and 61 whichare swingable about. a. fixed stud or shaft 68 parallel to theaxis of the cam drum 6i (Figs. 7 and 8), a collar 59 spacing these two levers and a bracket H1 carrying at its. outer end a plurality of spaced pinsv II that. guide. the outer ends. of the. camfollower'levers. 66 and 61. The entire: assembly, including, the camfollower levers (iii-and 61, the. collar 59 and bracket. 1-0,. is slidable axially on the stud 68 between a. first position inwhichthecam leversengage cam; segments 62 and 64, respectively; and a. second position in which the. cam levers engagecams iii-l and 65', respectively.v The levers are, shifted from. one; position. to. another by means. of: a pirrl'lun deiii'coritmt cf ipattem: mechanismv descrflmdym 10w; t ,'.;F '7

'I'hecam follower: lever- 86 acts. through; an tically slidable; tappet 132 on levers. 15:. and. 15. (Figs. 4-, and-5:); while; the cam. follower lever: 61. acts through. a. similar tappetfll onlevers; 163 and 185. all. of: said levers. being; pivoted at TL mic tflnnets: engage: lateral projections. 150,. 116a v 71) cm levers I5, 1.5, which projections; intum engage; leversv 1.5, 18 .sothat each: tapDet: raises both. of; the: associated levers while; the levers also are movable; independentlyz The opposite ends of. the levers. and. 'lfizare connected: by links:- II to the respective. levers: 5.51 that actuate thev ym guid'esjl. and52.v Lateral extensions 56' and 51-. omths cam followerfleversfifi andi'l. respectively; provide: bearing. surfaces for engagement. oithe lower. ends: of the; tappets 13. and: H; in. allposis tionsrofi the cam. follower levers. When, one: of the cam followers; 5E... 61.: rides up: ononc: or. the cam segments; on, cam drum 6d the correspond ing: tappet: 13, 14 is raised; rocking; the respective lever 15,, it in a: counterclockwise directiom. as viewed; in Fig. 4,. and acting through enact. the links 18? to swing. the. corresponding lever 551ml; clockwise direction, thereby lifting the associated yarn guide; 51, 52 outof feeding positions The yarn. guides 5 I 521 are thuscontrolled by the cam segments on the camdrum- 6,|, the length-.and-positioncf the respective segments being: chosen so as. to move; the yarn guides from operative tainoperative position. in predetermined timedrelationshipwith the rotationof. the needle cylinder. With the cam arrangement shown, one of: the. yarn guides. will; be in operativ'e positionfor approximately-half a revolution of the needle; ylin. der and the other yarnguidewill; be.- inoperative position for approximately the other-half. of. the revolution; When. the cam follower levers 65 61 are shifted axially from the position-shown-iri the, drawings; (Fig. 8;) tea-position in which. they engage segments. 82- and, 6,4,v respectivelyithe,

sequence of operation of the corresponding yarn guides is reversed so that yarn guide52 feedsyarn to selected. needles the section. of; the needle; cylinderpreviously served. by yarn guide 51,. and vice versa. v p The. axialshifting; of the cam. follower levers. 55 and 61- from. one position to another. con-"j trolled by a suitable cam- (Fig. 4). on tnemam pattern drum shaft 60 acting, through a cam follower 8.l which is pivoted at. 82. (Fig. 5). and is. connected by alink 83 with one, arm. of abell' crank 84, the other arm of which is slotted, and engages the pin. 12 of the cam follower lever.

assembly. When the cam follower. 8| rises, up

on a highsegment of cam 80, the link 83- moves upwardly, rocking, the bell crank 84 in a clock wise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, and thereby; shifting the pin 12 and associated: cam, follower. levers 55 and: 61, to. the left. Aspring 85 (Fig; 4 biases. the. link 83- and cam follower 8i inthe ope posite direction.- I

The additional yarn guide 53' locatedahead of the. other yarnv guides 48-52 isv movableintd and out. of yarn feeding position under. control, ofpattern mechanisml As shown in.Figs..3 and 4, the; yarn guide 53 comprises an arm 81 which is pivoted at 88 on a suitable support and atits. inner end carries a downwardly projecting finger 8.9 which has a yarn feeding opening atiis, lower: end. The finger 89 may advantageously. be. a; small tube down through whichv the yarn isfed, When; the. yarn guide 53. is in feeding, position the finger 89- extends down inside the latchring andlthe yarn feeding opening is at a level different from that of the yarn feeding guides 4052, being preferably lower. The yarn guide 53 is biased to move to yarn feeding position and is swingable to an inoperative position by a pivoted lever 9I which engages the rear end of the pivoted lever 81 and is, in turn, engaged by the forward end of a bent lever 92 which is pivotally supported at 93. The rear end of the lever 92 is connected by a link 94 (Fig. 5) with the rear end of a. cam follower 95 pivotally supported at 82 and having a nose portion 96 adapted to engage a cam 91 on the main pattern drum shaft 60. When the nose 96 of the cam follower 95 rides up on a high portion of the cam 91, the link 94 moves downwardly, rocking lever 92 in a clockwisedirection (Figs. 4, 5), which rocks lever 9I in a counterclockwise direction and the pivoted arm 91 of yarn guide 53 in a clockwise direction to-raise the yarn feeding finger 89.

Wh'en yarn changes are made by movement of theyarn feeding guides 48-53 into and out of operative position, the yarns are out and bound of by a cutter and binder unit 98 of usual or desired construction mounted on the latch ring 41 and positioned above the needle cylinder. The cutter and binder unit is operated by an arm 99 which is pivotally mounted on the latch ring 41 at I00. The inner end of the pivoted arm 99 is connected to an operating member of the cutter and binder by a link IN. The outer end of the arm 99 is connected by a link I02 and other suitable linkage (not shown) to a cam follower engageable by a cam on the main pattern drum in usual or desired manner. The cutter and binder is thereby operated from the main pattern drum in timed relation with the movement of the yarn guides 4853 which are likewise controlled by cams on the main pattern drum shaft.

The cutter and binder 98 is also operated cyclically in timed relation with the pumping of yarn guides 5I and 52.

For this purpose, a rocking lever I05 (Figs. 3 and 5) is pivotally supported at I06 and has an end portion I01 which overlies upwardly projecting protuberances I08 (Fig. 7) provided on each of the pivoted levers 'I5-I6 (Fig. 4) which are part of the linkage operating yarn guides 5| and 52. The other end of the pivoted lever I05 has a pin and slot connection lI with an arm III on an oscillatably supported rock shaft II2 that extends across the back of the machine. Near its left hand end, the rock shaft II2 carries a second arm II3 (Fig. 6), the outer end of which is slotted and straddles the link I02 for operating the cutter and binder. Adjustable collars Il4 are provided on the link I02 above and below the forked end of the arm II3. When the outer end of one of the yarn finger operating levers I5, I6 is raised by one of the tappets 13, '14 to move the corresponding yarn guides 5I, 52 out of operative position, the forward end I01 of the pivoted lever I05 is also raised so that its rear end is depressed andby the pin and slot connection I I0turns the rock shaft I [2 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 6, so as to move the link I02- downwardly and thereby actuate the cutter.

I Wrap yarn is fed to selected groups of needles by means of a wrap head II6 carried by a rotatable shaft II'I (Figs. 3 and 6) which is rotated in synchronism with the needle cylinder but is offset forwardly and to the left from the axis of the needle cylinder. The wrap head IIG comprises two discs IIB, II9 which are carried at the lower end of the shaft II'I, being rotatable, at least to a limited extent, relative to the shaft II I and each other. Each of the discs II8, II9 carries one or more downwardly projecting yarn guides I20 which are removably mounted on the discs in such manner that they may be placed at any desired position around the peripheries of the discs. Above the discs I I8, I I9, there are two coaxial sleeves I2I, I22 which rotate with the shaft II! but are slidable axially relative to the shaft and each other. Each of the sleeves I2I, I22 is connected, respectively, with one of the discs II8, II9 by a spiral slot and pin connection so that axial movement of the sleeves produces angular movement of the respective discs so as to change the phase relation of the discs relative to the shaft I I! and each other. The vertical positions of the sleeves I2I, I22, and hence the angular positions of the respective discs II9, II9 relative to' the rotating shaft I I1 and each other, is controlled by means of pivoted levers I23, I24 carrying pins engageable with grooved collars I25, I26 provided respectively on the vertically slidable sleeves I2I, I22. The levers I23, I24 are connected respectively by links I21, I29 and other suitable linkage (not shown) with pattern mechanism, e. g. the main pattern drum, for shifting the phase relation of the discs II8, II9 in accordance with the pattern being produced. The relation between the radius of the discs II9, II9 and the distance the axis of the shaft II! is offset from the axis of the needle cylinder is such that the path of the yarn guides I20 crosses the path of the needles so that the yarn guides are outside the needle circle for a predetermined are, being otherwise inside the needle circle. Since the peripheral speed of the needles is greater than that of the yarn guides I20 because of the greater radius of the needle cylinder, the needles gain on the yarn guides I20 while the latter are outside the needle circle so that a predetermined number of needles pass a yarn guide before the latter crosses back to the inside of the needle circle. A yarn fed by the yarn guide is thus, in effect, Wrapped about any of said needles that are raised to receive it. Shifting the phase relation of the discs IIB, II9 causes the respective yarn guides I20 to wrap different groups of needles. Wrap yarn is supplied to the yarn guides I20 from spools (not shown) carried by a suitable rack that rotates with the shaft III, the yarns passing down through suitable apertures in the collars I25 and I26.

The selecting of needles to receive the wrap yarns and the division of the needle circle into sections to receive the respective body yarns are eifected by coordinated needle-selecting units I30 and I3I (Fig. 3). The selecting unit I30 comprises a stack of selecting cams I32 (see also Fig. 11) which are movable toward and away from the needle cylinder and, when moved in toward the cylinder, are adapted to engage selecting butts I32 (Figs. 4 and 6) on jacks I33 which are provided below the needles M in the needle cylinder 40. While butts are shown on the jacks at all of the levels corresponding to the selecting cams I 32, it will be understood that any one jack usually has one or more butts while other jacks have butts at other levels. The butt-engaging portions of the selecting cams I32 are inclined upwardly in the direction of movement of the jacks so that, when a selecting cam is moved inwardly to operative position, any jack having a butt at the level of said cam will be raised, thereby rais-v 9. ing the corresponding needles above the other needlesto receive wrap yarn iedbythe wrap head 'IIB.

The selecting cams :I 32 are biased to .move .into operative position. They are selectively withdrawn to inoperative position by bell crank levers 135 which arepivoted at 133. .Thelevers J35 are connected at one end with the selecting cams I32, .for example by a. tongue andrecessconnection while at the other end the leversaretadapted to be engaged by pins or iother fpro'tuberances on aselecting drum :I3I which is rotatable about a vertical axis I38. By mechanism described be-- low, the drum I3! is Iacked'with a 'step-rby-ste'p rotary movementtin timedirelation with thezrotation of the needle cylinder. Whereapin occurs on the "drum I131, engagement of the pin with the lever 135 .causes the lever tobe rockedinaclockwise direction; :as viewed in Fig. 3, thereby withdrawing the corresponding selecting cams I 32. Wherenoxpins occur, the levers .I 35 areinot rocked and the corresponding selecting-cams J 32 remain in operative position.

The selecting unit .I3 I comprises 'a stack oi 'sethe levers areconnected'with the selecting cams I40, for example by a tongue and recess connection, while at theother-endthe leversare adapted to be engaged by pins or other protuberances provided at 'corresponding levels'on a selecting drum I43 which is rotatableabout a'vertical axis I44. The selecting drum 143 and associated selecting cams I control thedivision of theneedles in the needle circle into a plurality -of sections, the needles of one section being positioned at a dif ferent level from those of anadjacent section and the yarn guides that feed the body -ya rns being positioned with respect to the levels of the needles so that the needles of one "sectionw'ill receive one body yarn while the needles of an adjacentsection will receive 'adiflerent body yarn. Still further flexibility of control afforded by providing interengaging portions I39 on all or selectedones ofthe cams I'32and I40 so that, by withdrawing one cam a greater distance, the corresponding cam of theother set is "alsowithdrawn. The distance the cams are withdrawn i'scontrolled by the heights of the pinson'drums I31 and I43.

The manner in which the needles are selected and divided is illustrated. diagrammatically in Fig. 12in conjunction with Fig. 11' which'shows the needle-selecting and -operating cams. The needle jacks are first leveledby'acam 145 which engages leveling butts I4-'I (Fig. 4) on the-jacks. Selected jacks are then raised by selecting cams 32 (Fig. 11) and a booster cam I46 'to raise selected groups of needles to wrapping level to receive wrap yarn. In "Fig. 12, a group of four needles W2 is shown being raised to receive'wrap yarn at the wrapping station W S. 'The 'path'followed by the raised needles is indicated by the broken line I48. and continue at the original level. A group of four needles W1 has previously been raised and has received a wrap yarn; Following the booster The other needlesare not raised it) cam I43, the jacks of the needles that have been raised are-.lowered-bya levellingcam I49 (Fig. 11) engaging jack-levelling :needle butts 141, while the corresponding needles remain-by friction-- at wrappingsheight. The jacks of a selected'seotion S2 are then raisedby selecting cams I40 and a booster cam I50 to position corresponding, needles higher than =-those-of a preceding section 81 and .a. succeeding .section S3 and also higher than wrapping :level. 'The'booster-cam 150 is .located beyond the wrapping station but ahead of the feeding station FS .at which the body yarns areife'd. The ipathofthe needles of section Szis indicated by the broken line I5I. As the yarn guide 53 is lower "than-the yarn guides 5| vand5'2', the needles of sections S1 .and Sa-including the end needles that have been raised to wrapping level'receive their hooksithe body yarn fed by guide 53 but pass abelow ;yarn guides 5| and .52 and hence no not take yarn fed by either of the two clatter guides. 'The needles 0f section S2, being higher at the'feeding station FS, take the yarn fed by one or :another of the yarn guides 5|; 52; while'yarn' fed by guide 53 lies below "the latches of theneedles of section S2 and'is cast off when the needles pass through the knitting wave. As explained above, the yarn guides '5I and 52 are moved alternately into and. out of feeding position so that'one or the'other of these guides feeds yarn to those needles that are positioned to receive it. Thus, for example, guide 51 feeds yarn to the needles of section S2 while,

yarn :guide 52 feeds yarnto'the needles of a section' followingss. It will be-noted' that the groups of needles receiving wrap yarn occur at the junctions between the sections into which the needles arediv-ided to receive different body yarns, Thus, for'example, two of the needles of the group W1 that receive wrap yarn are in section S1 while the "other two :needles of this group are'in section S2. The wrap yarnthereby provides a connecing link between the different sections of body yarn.

After wrap yarn and body yarn have been 'fed selectively tothe needles, as described above, all of the needles are operated to draw stitches and subsequently clear the stitches'that have been drawn, as, forexamp'le, by means of a center cam I 51 (-Fig. ll) stitchcam I52, raisingcam I53 and clearing cam I54. A reverse stitch cam I52 is in operative'position onlywhen themachine operiatesby reciprocation,asinknitting the heel and The selecting drums I31 and I43 are racked in timed relation'with the rotation of the needle cylinder, being moved each revolution or spaced revolutions, as desired. The racking normally occurs at a predetermined point in the rotation of the needle cylinder. However, if a selecting drum is being racked at the same time that a needle selection is being made by engagement of the selecting "cams I32. I40 withjthe jacks, an improper selection may be made. To overcome this difficulty, provision is made for shifting'the point 'atwhich the selecting drums are racked, so that the racking does not occur at the same timejthat the selecting cams are in engagement with butts on the jacks.

Asillustrated in the drawings (Figs. 3, '5, '9 and 10), the racking mechanism comprises a pair' of levers I55 and I5! swingable about a common I pivotal support "I55 and each having a cam surface engageable, respectively, by rollers I58 and Iisprovided,"respedivelymn opposite sides of the I04 gear 104 which rotates once every four revolutions of the needle cylinder. The rollers I59 are angularly spaced from the rollers I58, for example by an angle of 22 A; which corresponds to an angle of rotation of 90 of the needle cylinder. The number of rollers provided determintes whether the selecting drums are racked each revolution of the needle cylinder, every other revolution, etc. Engagement of the rollers I58, I59 with the levers I56, I51, respectively, swings the levers in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 9, springs being provided to return the levers, which are thereby caused to oscillate by' the rotation of the I04 gear. Owing to the angular spacing of the rollers I58 and I59, the levers I56 and I51 oscillate out of phase with one another.

Links I60 and I6I are pivotally connected at one end with the upper ends of levers I56 and I51, respectively, and at their other ends are provided with hooks adapted to engage a block I62 adjustably fixed, for example by means'of a set screw, on a rod I83 which is slidably supported by a bearing I64 for endwise movement. The rod I 63 extends toward the front of the machine and, at its forward end, is pivotally connected with one arm of a bell crank lever I65 swingable about a fixed axis I66, the other arm being pivotally connected with a reciprocable link I61 carrying a pawl I68 adapted to engage the teeth of a ratchet I69 on the selecting drum I43 (Fig. 3),

the pawl being biased into engagement with the ratchet teeth.

The rod I63 also extends rearwardly and, at its rear end, is connected by a link I1I with an arm I12 (Fig. on a rock shaft I13 which is oscillatably supported and extends across the back of the machine (Fig. 3). At the left hand side of the machine, the rock shaft I13 is provided with a second arm I14 to which is pivotally connected one end of a reciprocable link I15 which carries a pawl tooth I16 adapted to engage the teeth of a ratchet I11 on the selecting drum I 31.

Pattern control mechanism I19 is provided for raising one or the other of the links I and I6I so that the hook of one of said links engages the block I62 on the rod I63 while the other hook is held up out of engagement with said block. As illustrated in the drawings (Figs. 9 and 10), this mechanism comprises a rock shaft I which is oscillatably supported by brackets I,8I and carries two laterally projecting arms I82 and I83 which project from opposite sides of the rock shaft. The arms I82 and I83 are connected, respectively, by links I84 and I85 to pivotally mounted lifting arms I86 and I81 provided, respectively, with laterally projecting pins I88 and I89 (Fig. 10) which extend under and are adapted to lift links I60 and I6I. The rock shaft I80 also has a third arm I90 which is connected by a link I9I with a cam follower I92 which is pivotally supported at 82 and has a nose portion I93 adapted to engage a cam I94 on the main pattern drum shaft 60. When the cam follower I92 rides up on a high portion of the cam I94, the link I9 I moves downwardly (Fig. 9), rocking the shaft I80 in a counterclockwise direction and lifting arm I82 and connected arm I86 to raise the link I60 out of engagement with the block I62. The hook of link I6I engages the block I62 and thereby reciprocates the rod I63 in timed relation with the lever I51. Conversely, when the shaft I80 is rocked in the opposite direction, link I6I is raised so that the rod I63 is reciprocated by the lever I56. Since the levers I56 and I51 are actuated out of phase with one another owing to the angular spacing of the rollers I58 and I59 on the I04 gear I04, the rod I63 which actuates the racking of the selecting drums I31 and I43 is operated in different phase relation with the rotation of the needle cylinder, depending on whether it is operated by lever I58 or by lever I51. The phase relation between the racking of the selecting drums and the rotation of the needle cylinder is thus shifted under control of the cam I94 on the'main pattern drum shaft 60.

The operation of the machine will be readily understood from the following description of the steps in knitting an article of hosiery like that shown in Fig. 1. If the top portion R is formed of rib fabric, it is knitted on a rib-knitting machine and transferred to needles of the machine illustrated in the drawing. If it is a plain knit elastic top, it is knit on the present machine, for example by feeding body yarn to the needles with one of the yarn guides 48, 49 or 50 while introducing elastic thread by a suitable feed finger. For knitting the leg portion with the colors described above, the yarn guide 5I is threaded with yellow yarn, guide 52 with red yarn and guide 53 with blue yarn. The yarn guide 53 stays in feeding position throughout the knitting of the leg portion L. Yarn guides 5I and 52 are pumped alternately into and out of feeding position, each being in feeding position approximately half a revolution of the needle cylinder. For example, for knitting a course approximately at the line AA (Fig. 1), the yarn guide 5I is in feeding position to supply yellow yarn to the needles knitting the section I5 while yarn guide 52 is in feeding position to supply red yarn to the needles knitting section I1. The needles knitting sections I2 and I2 pass too low to take yarn fed by either of the yarn guides 5I or 52 and hence take only yarn fed by the guide 53, as illustrated by the needles of the section S1 in Fig. 12. The division of the needles into the respective sections is controlled by the selecting means-I3I (Fig. 3) in such manner that the 1 junction between the sections of the fabric extends along a diagonal line to provide the diamond pattern illustrated. The wrap yarns 22 and 23 are fed by yarn guides on the discs III and I I9, respectively, of the wrap head I I6 (Fig. 6). These discs are progressively turned in opposite directions relative to the shaft II1 so that the wrapping follows the diagonal lines of the junctions between the sections of fabric knit of different body yarn. The wrap yarns 26 and 21 are fed by other yarn guides on the discs H8 and H9. The selection of needles to receive the wrap yarn is effected by the selecting means I30 (Fig. 3). The selecting means I39 and I3I are coordinated with one another so that the groups of needles selected by the selecting means I30 occur at the junctions between the sections into which the needles are divided by the selecting means, being partly in one section and partly in the adjacent section. As the wrap lines on the fabric extend diagonally, they would, at certain times, coincide with the point at which the selecting drums I31 and I43 are racked if these drums were always racked at the same point in the rotation of the needle cylinder. However, by shifting the phase relation between the racking of the selecting drums and the rotation of the needle cylinder by means of the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, this difliculty is avoided.

By providing the machine with a knot tier knownper se-the yarn used as knitting sections l2 and T2 (F g. 1) can be tied on to a difler-ent yarn forknitting sections l3 and I3 sothat the section [3 is knit of a different yarn from section 12. In like mannenwhen the lowerpoint of section I3 is reached, a :difierent yarn can be tied on for knitting sections l4 and I4. When the line 'C'C is reached, the alternation f feed fingers '51 and 52 is reversed "so that yarn guide 52 feeds yarn to the needles knitting section l8 while yarn guide 5| feeds yarn to the needles knitting section Hi.

When the heel H is reached, yarn guides 5|, 52 and 53 are moved to inoperative position and one of the yarn guides 4850 is moved into feeding position, the machine being operated by reciprocation, With suitable narrowing andwidening to provide a heel pocket. Upon completion of the heel, the machine is again operated by continuous rotary motion and one of yarn guides 48, 49, 50'or 53 is moved into feeding position to supply to the needles the yarn for knitting the foot portion F. The toe pocket is formed in the same manner as the heel and is followed by the usual loopers edge. It will be understood that, instead of using single yarns, two or more ends of yarn may be knit together.

While the operation of the machine has been described with reference to the knitting of a particular article, it will be understood that the invention is in no way limited to the particular knitted articles or the particular machine details shown by way of example in the drawings.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an article of hosiery, a circular seamless leg portion comprising a plurality of circular knit courses, each of successive courses comprising a portion knit of one body yarn, a second portion knit of a different body yarn, said portion-s abutting one another and terminating in adjacent wales, and wrap yarn knit with the body yarn at a plurality of successive stitches including at least one stitch of said first portion and at least one stitch of the second portion, said portions being joined to one another by said warp yarn.v

2. In an article of hosiery, a circular seamless leg portion comprising a plurality of circular knit courses, each of successive courses comprising successive portions knit respectively of different body yarns, the sequence of body yarns being repeated in successive courses to provide a plurality of adjacent areas disposed one after another in a coursewise direction and wrap yarn extending in a generally walewise direction along the boundaries between adjacent areas, said wrap yarn being knit with the body yarn at a plurality of stitches in each course including at least one stitch in one area and at least one stitch in the adjacent area.

3. In an article of hosiery, a circular knit leg portion comprising a plurality of circular knit courses, each of a plurality of successive courses comprising portions knit respectively of diflferent body yarns, said portions being disposed in predetermined sequence around the course and the sequence being repeated in successive courses to provide a plurality of adjacent areas disposed one after another in a coursewise direction, the coursewise extent of the respective portions of a course formed of the difierent body yarns being varied from course to course to vary the coursewise extents of said areas, and wrap yarn extending along the boundaries between adjacent areas, said wrap yarn being knit with the body yarn at aipluralityof stitches in each-course Yineluding at least. one stitch in one area :and .:at least onestitch in the adjacent area, said areas being joined to one another by said wrap yarn.

4. In 2811:, article Lof hosiery, a .circular seamless leg portion .comprisingaplurality of circular knit courses, each o'f'aplurality of successive courses comprising portions knit respectively of different body yarns, said portions being disposed in predetermined sequence in a coursewise direction and the sequence being repeated in successive courses to provide a plurality of adjacent areas knit respectively of said yarns, the points of termination of the respective portion varying from course to course so that at least certain boundaries between said areas have both coursewise and walewise components, and wrap yarn extending along the boundaries between adjacent areas, said wrap yarn being knit with the body yarn at a plurality of stitches in each course,

including at least one stitch in one area and at least one stitch in the adjacent area, said areas being tied together by said wrap yarn.

5. In an article of hosiery, a circularseamless leg portion comprising a plurality of circular knit courses, each of successive courses comprising a portion knit of a body yarn of one color and a second portion knit of a body yarn of a different color, said portions abutting one another and terminating in adjacent wales, and wrap yarn knit with the body yarn at a plurality of successive stitches including at least one stitch in said first portion and at least one stitch of the second portion, said portions being tied together by said wrap yarn.

6. An article according to claim 5, in which the wrap yarn is the same color as one of said body yarns.

'7. An article according to claim 5 in which the wrap yarn is of a different color than said body yarns.

8. In an article of hosiery, a circular seamless leg portion comprising a plurality of circular knit courses, each of a plurality of successive courses comprising at least three portions, adjacent portions being knit respectively of different body yarns, said portions being arranged in predetermined sequence and the sequence being repeated in successive courses to provide adjacent areas formed respectively of said yarns, one of said areas progressively decreasing in coursewise extent, whereby the boundaries between said one area andadjacent areas on'opposite sides thereof converge withone another, and wrap yarns extending along the boundaries between adjacent areas, each of said wrap yarns being knit with the body yarn at a plurality of stitches-in each of successive courses including at least one stitch in one area and at least one stitch in the adjacent area to tie said areas together, two of said wrap yarns coming together where boundaries between the areas converge.

9. In an article of hosiery, a tubular seamless leg portion comprising a plurality of areas of different color disposed one beside another in a coursewise direction and a plurality of areas of diiferentcolor disposed one below another in a walewise direction, adjacent areas being knit of different body yarn and the knitting of one body yarn in a course terminating at the point where the knitting of another body yarn starts, and wrap yarn extending along the boundaries between said areas, said wrap yarn being knit with the body yarn at a plurality of stitches in each of successive courses including at least one stitch 1 5 in one area and at least one stitch in the adjacent Number area in each course to tie said areas together. 2,283,995 PAUL L. THURSTON. 2,302,211 2,516,697 References Cited in the file of this patent 5 2,522,265

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Number 2,167,390 Lawson et a1 July 25, 1939 308,421 2,217,022 Lawson et a1 Oct. 8, 1940 10 16 Name Date Button, Jr., et a1. May 26, 1942 Green Nov. 17, 1942 Haddad July 25, 1950 Haddad Sept. 12, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Mar. 28, 1929 

